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My friends and I introduced a fellow player to the Church while playing a social MMO video game. Though we never met her in person, as she lived in a distant state, she became converted by the Spirit and was baptized. The last I checked, she married a fellow member of the Church. So, the next time someone tries to tell you video game are bad, remember this!

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It comes by respecting people (as they ARE not as future Church members), not being on to convert, never pushing anything, but just being open about what I believe, and if folks are interested they can learn more.

For a number of years now, the LDS Church has had plenty of missionaries assigned to teaching the Gospel online, and they have been remarkably successful (more baptisms per capita than normal tracting missions). Many of these missionaries have been those who had physical handicaps which prevented them performing a regular mission. The group I was personally familiar with worked out of the MTC in Provo for the years that I worked with them once-a-week at the Provo Temple. They were all men. However, I know of other locations where they have been based, and many of them are female.

These online missions may be more successful than regular tracting missions simply because those they teach are self-selected. They come to the missionaries on the internet with true interest, rather than being sought out by normal means. When ready for baptism, they are then turned over to the missions in their geographic location.

It comes by respecting people (as they ARE not as future Church members), not being on to convert, never pushing anything, but just being open about what I believe, and if folks are interested they can learn more.

Some years back, during LDS Conferences, some of the Brethren asked members to defend the Gospel online. I take it that this can be done in a variety of ways. Podcasts of some sort, actual organized efforts (as with FairMormon, Interpreter, Book of Mormon Central, etc.), or simply loose discussions and exchanges of some sort -- as on this very board.

In some cases, former members or currently dissatisfied members might want to vent their anger and frustrations. In other cases, there may be more respectful discussion, without any particular end in view. Open-ended discussion tends to have unexpected results, often of educational value, opening our eyes to theretofore unknown issues and emotions. Either way, there can be some positive results, but not always.